Another Photographer Detained in Southern California

Flickr/ photographer padawan *(xava du)

Carlos Miller
Pixiq

For the second time in a month, police in Long Beach, California detained a photographer for taking pictures in public.

And now it is becoming apparent that they are probably following guidelines issued by the Los Angeles Police Department that explicitly states that people taking photos are to be viewed as suspicious.

According to page 40 of the LAPD’s “Suspicious Activity Report,” published in June 2008:

“Takes pictures or video footage (with no apparent esthetic value, i.e., camera angles, security equipment, security personnel, traffic lights, building entrances, etc.).”

This gives police the green light to detain photographers who are doing nothing but taking photos.

The Suspicious Activity Report was highlighted in an article by Greggory Moore of the Long Beach Post, who was detained by Los Angeles County sheriff deputies for photographing a courthouse on June 2.

In the article, Moore writes about another incident involving his colleague, Sander Roscoe Wolff, who was detained on June 30 for photographing an oil refinery for artistic purposes.

Even though Wolff wasn’t breaking the law nor was he driving, Long Beach police officer Asif Kahn demanded his driver’s license.

Read Full Article